Any person found guilty of desertion or attempt to desert shall be punished, if the offense is committed in time of war, by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct, but if the desertion or attempt to desert occurs at any other time, by such punishment, other than death, as a court-martial may ...

Can you be shot for desertion?

A charge of desertion can actually result in the death penalty, which is the maximum punishment during "time of war." However, since the Civil War, only one American servicemember has ever been executed for desertion: Private Eddie Slovik in 1945.

Is desertion punishable by death?

Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 15 offenses can be punishable by death, though many of these crimes — such as desertion or disobeying a superior commissioned officer's orders — carry the death penalty only in time of war.